Saints vs. Eagles: What's the Game Plan for New Orleans?
The New Orleans Saints will look to ring up their second consecutive victory Sunday, as coach Sean Payton’s club invades Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
New Orleans (1-3) is a week removed from earning its first win of the season against the Dallas Cowboys in overtime, while Philadelphia (1-3) is looking to bounce back after a close loss to the Washington Redskins.
Despite their slow start, coach Chip Kelly’s Eagles present formidable challenges to the Saints. In order to escape with a win, Payton and his staff must come up with a sound game plan, and the Saints will need to execute with precision, as well as with great intensity.
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Let’s take a look at a few things New Orleans may do on both sides of the ball.
Defense
The most challenging aspect of the Eagles offense is its breakneck pace. Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan must have his group mentally prepared for the routine of jumping into position and making defensive calls quicker than usual.
Conditioning will also come into play, as Kelly’s offense attempts to exhaust the opposing defense with its unrelenting tempo.
The first step in defending the Eagles offense is to slow down the run. One of Philadelphia’s favorite running plays is the sweep by the running back out of the shotgun formation. While the Eagles have struggled to get DeMarco Murray off and running this season, they enjoyed great success with the sweep throughout Kelly’s first two years at the helm with LeSean McCoy taking the handoffs.
Despite the shaky start, it would be a stretch to imagine the ever-confident Kelly shying away from his preferred set of plays, especially the sweep.
When running this play, Philadelphia usually pulls a lineman to lead the ball-carrier to the edge. New Orleans' defensive linemen will have to quickly identify the Eagles blocker who’s pulling on the play and put a body on him before he leads the play to the outside.
For example, if Philadelphia right guard Matt Tobin pulls, a New Orleans defensive tackle, either John Jenkins, Kevin Williams or Tyeler Davison, should fire out hard and engage Tobin, thereby preventing him from leading the back to the edge, or at least slowing him down.
Slapping the brakes on the pulling Eagles lineman will help the pursuing New Orleans linebacker to focus more on taking out the ball-carrier, be it Murray or Ryan Matthews. Relentless back-side pursuit from the Saints is also important.
Another key to defending the sweep is winning the battle for the edge. Whether it’s Cam Jordan, Bobby Richardson, Hau’oli Kikaha or Kasim Edebali, the Saints play-side edge defender must quickly diagnose and win his individual battle with tight end Brent Celek (or Zach Ertz).
The Eagles rely on the tight end to make a key block on the sweep. If the New Orleans edge defenders can keep from getting pinned inside by Celek, they’ll be able penetrate the backfield and blow up the vaunted Eagles sweep play.
Of course, the Saints will still have to contend with Sam Bradford and the Eagles' downfield passing game, but if they can slow down the sweep, they’ll be taking away one of Philadelphia’s bread-and-butter running plays.
Offense
The big issue at hand for the Saints' offense is the fact it’ll be without its top lineman. Left tackle Terron Armstead is out with a knee injury, the team announced Friday on its official site.
Armstead will be replaced in the lineup by 2015 first-round draft pick Andrus Peat. To say Peat’s development has been slow would be an understatement. The rookie struggled throughout training camp and the preseason, particularly in the pass-protection department.
Peat is further along as a run-blocker, however, and with Drew Brees just two weeks removed from missing a game due to a shoulder injury, the Saints will try to protect their quarterback by leaning on their power running game.
Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson, along with Peat and the offensive line, will be counted on to grind out the tough yards. That will be easier said than done against the Eagles, though, as defensive coordinator Bill Davis’ unit ranks No. 13 in the league against the run.
In order to run the ball effectively and consistently, the Saints will have to loosen up the Eagles linebackers with the short passing game. This will entail multiple swing passes and quick throws into the flats.
If the Saints truly want to maximize their production on these short throws, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get the ball into the hands of their top offensive playmakers more than they have thus far this season.
Wideout Brandin Cooks is undoubtedly one of the Saints’ most dangerous weapons, but outside of a seven-catch outing against the Carolina Panthers, he hasn’t received nearly enough touches this year. He’s been used primarily as an outside receiver, but the New Orleans offensive line simply hasn’t protected Brees well enough to allow the downfield passing game to flourish the way it has in the past.
In order to get Cooks more involved, Payton may want to consider putting him in the slot. The Saints’ lack of depth at wide receiver hasn’t allowed them the luxury of taking Cooks away from the outside, but with young wideouts Willie Snead and Brandon Coleman steadily improving, New Orleans might could afford to move Cooks around a bit more this week.
Another weapon who can provide a spark in the short passing game is running back C.J. Spiller, who scored the game-winning touchdown against the Cowboys last week. The overtime touchdown came off Spiller’s fifth reception of the game, and he finished just shy of 100 receiving yards in the contest.
In Cooks and Spiller, the Saints have two explosive weapons, both of whom present matchup problems for opposing defenses. If New Orleans is to stick with a short passing game, as it did a week ago, it only makes sense to use these two more frequently.
After all, a hefty dose of Cooks and Spiller will help make the power run game that much more effective when the Saints opt to pound the A- and B-gaps with Ingram and Robinson.
Prediction
Although their offensive line is banged up, the Saints will finally be at full strength at the offensive skill positions Sunday. They’ll also have a healthy Drew Brees, which certainly means a lot in a game between two 1-3 teams fighting to stay in the hunt.
While the Saints will likely try to establish the run in Armstead’s absence, look for Brees to take full advantage of having a healthy Spiller in the backfield. It remains to be seen, however, whether or not the Saints can get the ball to Cooks with greater frequency than they have thus far.
On defense, New Orleans has the ability to slow down the Philadelphia running game, as multiple teams have already done this season. Defending the Eagles’ downfield passing game will also be key, but given the potential displayed by the Saints’ young defenders’ this season, there’s no reason to think they can’t rise to the challenge, pressure Bradford and cover well in the secondary.
Look for a close, hard-fought battle between two desperate teams, but, in the end, the pinpoint passing of Brees will tip the scales in favor of the Saints.
Saints 27, Eagles 23
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